Plus-Size Models in Sports Illustrated: Tabria Majors VS Kate Wasley

“I grew up always seeing the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, but I never dreamed I’d be in it because I never saw anybody who looked like me in it.”

Right: Kate Wasley

Age: 23

Size: 12 US

Height: 5’11” / 180 cm

Measurements: 41 / 32 / 47, 104 / 81 / 119 cm

A quote from Kate about her disordered eating:

“I was always the biggest friend, and not seeing myself represented in the media had an effect, because if your body type’s not represented, it’s not celebrated. So I was about 18 when I started yo-yo dieting. From there, I spiraled downward and lost 30 kilograms [66 pounds] in a short amount of time. I was eating about 800 calories a day. I was so obsessed and needed to be in constant calorie deficit, needed to constantly exercise and eat only protein and green vegetables. I would not touch any form of carbohydrates, not even potatoes. Then I went to a couple of doctors who helped me a lot, and I’m living my best life now. I’m not really worried what other people think of me.”

Tabria has a pretty face, but people who are this overweight are simply not attractive to me. Kate’s waist is only 81 cm? It looks larger in these pictures.

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1 year ago

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Kia

It’s a NO for me! ( but yes to fun at the seaside, and they are not disgusting. but yeah unhealthy for models!!!)

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1 year ago

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Annie

I don’t want to sound mean but I highly doubt having so much fat around your organs is healthy. Someone like Iskra is “thick” yet good looking, these two however are just overweight and it doesn’t look that cute to me, sorry. I’m not saying eating 800kcal a day is better but there has to be a middle ground somewhere.

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1 year ago

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Kia

Yeah I mean….If you eat 2000cal a day and cycle/walk 30” almost every day you don’t look like this at all..especially at 27. If you can’t do it, which I understand and don’t judge for, it means that your relationship with food has to be sort out and that most probably you have a sugar addiction and are in denial. sugar addiction is NOT easy to overcome if it’s serious….It controls your moods and brain..so you need to cut it progressively and seriously. you have to. The alternative of going on that way is just unhealthy…doesn’t matter if tv or… Read more »

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1 year ago

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Chloë

Given their waist-to-hip ratios, and to a lesser degree, their height, it is unlikely they have unhealthy amounts of visceral fat.

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1 year ago

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punani

Nobody gives a shite about their “heath”. Fok the concern trolling. The fact is, these people, like most of the people in the west, are obviously hoarding calories and food, and then stigmatizing other people who dare point that reality out.

Greed is not a good look, for anybody, nor is denial

They are sexualizing fat women because they understood western women aren’t gonna lose the weight, and that’s how they keep us buying totally useless shite.

By making us believe we “need” to “feel” sexy at all costs.

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1 year ago

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Altra

there will always be thin women in USA/NA, but it’s a class difference – the rich women & men will likely be the ones with good BMI, while the poor and part of the middle class will likely not have access to good food, health tools and time to do so. Beauty ideal always hovers around the class system.

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1 year ago

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Chloë

Well, at least you admit it’s a matter of moral prejudice and not caring about a stranger’s health.

Who is “they”? Sounds like your real issue is with “them”, not these models.

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1 year ago

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ule

European guidelines put women with waist circumference of over 80 cm in the group with increased health risks. Kate’s belly does look really soft so she definitely has subcutaneous fat, but we all have some visceral fat, too. And obese people usually still have more of it. It’s not just the visceral fat that’s unhealthy, being too fat overall messes up your metabolism, endocrine system,…

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1 year ago

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punani

Living in Paris-known for inhabitants being slim- I see PLENTY of people eating all types of food, carbs, and sweets, in moderate proportions, and still not be 218 pounds.

This black and white thinking/excuse making needs to go asap

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1 year ago

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Chloë

Genetics, digestive flora and access to food. Will power is not enough.

Oh I see, as long as you only starve yourself in ~moderation~, then it’s healthy. Gotcha.

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1 year ago

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Gladys

Actually, there is a Line between eating eveything you want, and enjoying good food and good time with moderation. I am all for various body types and builds, but they cannot be model, as “what we aim to”. I do not aim to that body type. But are we trying to set standards ? No. We want people to feel comfortable. That how you get crocs, sweatpants and Bad TV. And no education. by being comfortable. They might not be sick but i dont believe people saying its only genetics. Only for the sad, the poors and in the modern… Read more »

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1 year ago

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punani

People raised and used to healthy varied moderate diets ‘eat all they want”.

“All they want” though is never “3 meals per day of giant plates of fried goods and snacks in between”.

Want is not equal to need, ffs.

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1 year ago

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Chloë

Has it never occurred to you that fat people could have the exact same “healthy varied moderate diets” as thin people, but eat just a little bit more and end up fat? An extra 300 calories a day is roughly 30lbs a year. Do that for a year or 2 and bam! You’re overweight.

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1 year ago

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ule

300 kcal a day is basically one small meal or two snacks. I’m of average height and weight and eat ~2000 kcal a day (don’t count anymore, but that’s my estimation) and notice clothes fitting differently in 2 weeks if I change amount of exercise or food. How you can go 12 months and not notice you’ve increased 2+ dress sizes is beyond me. If you care, it’s not that hard to drop 300 extra calories and eat enough to maintain weight if not lose it. And it’s much easier if you cook yourself instead of eat out. Mishaps happen… Read more »

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1 year ago

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Charlotte

Exactly. I eat everything that I want. I’m sure plenty of models and thin actresses eat all they want. Except… We don’t WANT to eat those 3 plates of fried food plus snacks a day. We WANT to eat mainly healthy food, vegetables, lean meats, smoothies, peanut butter -in moderation-, chocolate -in moderation- and may have one of those very unhealthy greasy meals every two weeks. We don’t feel like we are *denying* ourselves ANYTHING. This is a lifestyle, and it’s usually something you grow up with or at least teach yourself in early adulthood. When I really crave something,… Read more »

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1 year ago

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Chloë

Yep, and they’re on the ‘moderation’ side of that line. Don’t want to look like them or look at them? Then look at different models. Problem solved.

It’s not JUST genetics. It’s a combination of many factors, *including* genetics and calories and nutrients and will power and many other things!

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1 year ago

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punani

‘starving’ is now relative to the amount of calories you are used to eating, rather than the amount of kcals a human of your height, sex, activity, and age needs to have a fully functional body. Aiiight.

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1 year ago

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Chloë

Did you not read the part where she said she ate 800 calories?!

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1 year ago

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Ches

It really is mental, people like to make excuses but it’s 90 percent in your brain and obsessing about food.

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1 year ago

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Antonella

that is not a good look

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1 year ago

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Ches

I’m all for curves but 218 lbs at 5″10?? thats obese unhekwyhy and asthetically not appealing at all unless you’re a fat chaser

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1 year ago

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punani

unhekwyhy???

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1 year ago

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Ches

Fat fingers lol, unhealthy

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1 year ago

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Altra

its a BMI of 31.3.. in the obese range. I’m flabbergasted. Its weird that this is okay, but women who are athletic and heaven forbid, muscular or athletes that dont fit into the feminine ideal are basically laughed at.

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1 year ago

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ALSboom

1) there is no way she only weighs 218 lbs….2) there is no way that other girl is a size 12….not possible.

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1 year ago

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CarrieD

I can believe the 218lbs but there’s no way this Kate girl is a size 12. It’s ridiculous to even say that size, she’s at least a 16 on a good day, clearly. I honestly don’t see that big a difference between the 2 of them.

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1 year ago

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GirlieSwirl

I don’t think a lot of you are taking into account bone structure, muscle, or are aware of what the sizes/weights you’re discussing here really look like. Tabria is 218 lbs at 5’10” & she looks it…no more, no less. Actually, at that height, some people could actually probably look a little smaller. Kate is also tall and more than likely probably DOES wear no more than a 14…nowhere near “at least a 16”. And I myself am nowhere near either of their heights (much shorter), but I do share an approx. weight with Tabria, & while this is the… Read more »

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1 year ago

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OldMedusa

I understand that heavier women, who now constitute the majority, want to see similarly sized women modeling clothes marketed for them. But I don’t understand the trend of fat women modeling swimsuits for ogling purposes in men’s magazines. I’m curious how this will affect magazine sales.

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1 year ago

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punani

Well, western men are getting as fat as the women, so if they give them wank material it has to at least partly reflect reality and not make them feel the models are too “unattainable” or they get frustrated???

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1 year ago

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Nobody

I’m not sorry when I say that these women and other “plus” sized models are not attractive, and they should only be in a chubby chaser fetish magazines…quit trying to make being overweight mainstream and sexy! Why can’t people just eat and work out in moderation? Why does it have to be either overly scary skinny or fat?!?!?! That girl said she ate only 800 calories (not good) well now she’s eating over 2000 (also not good) to be this weight…why not eat 1800 with 30 mins of exercise? It’s not effing rocket science.

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1 year ago

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CarrieD

A bit harsh, but true. I’m not bothered that they’re included, but maybe they’re being “too” included? They’re everywhere now. Meanwhile we still hardly see any size 6-12 models, which in my opinion are a much better representation of what the average woman looks or can look like: an attainable figure, a healthy weight, etc.

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1 year ago

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punani

Chubby chaser isn’t a marginal fetish anymore if over 60% of the population is overweight or obese.

I mean men gotta f*ck something irl, right??

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1 year ago

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GirlieSwirl

The concern trolling on this post (& all plus-sized model posts here)…my goodness. It’s fine to say you don’t find women like this aesthetically pleasing, but I’m sure we all see women of similar sizes to this everyday & they’re not dying or ill from being this weight. You’re very unlikely to be physically handicapped by being 218 lbs at 5’10”. Just “normal” overweight.

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1 year ago

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ule

“Normal overweight” now, having chronical illnesses, that could be prevented, later. Or the onset of age-related diseases happening sooner (cancer, dementia…). There is a reason why medical guidelines exist for what is healthy and what isn’t, it’s not just our aesthetical prejudice. Granted most of us have some unhealthy habits, let it be sedentary lifestyle, too much stress, sugar, alcohol, smoking, you name it. But I don’t see how that’s fine just because everyone does it. In my country about 10% of children are classified obese and 25% are overly fed in medical terms. We should be concerned about both,… Read more »